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Press Release

On behalf of over one million FreedomWorks members nationwide, I urge you to vote no on H.R. 3082, which as currently formulated would fund the government for the next ten months at current 2010 levels. With Congress failing to pass any of the required 12 annual appropriation bills, leaders have opted to put forth a massive $1.1 trillion continuing resolution that includes a number of costly provisions. If the proposed “omnibus” spending bill is introduced as a substitute for the continuing resolution, we also encourage you to vote against that.

On November 2nd, the American people’s voices were heard at the ballot box. Overwhelmingly, these voters choose to limit the size and scope of government. In just the past two years, total government spending has increased by 16.8 percent. With an estimated $1.3 trillion deficit in 2010 and national debt now over $13 trillion, Congress must take action to curb spending, not pass bills that maintain and even grow the size of our too big federal government. The continuing resolution would maintain government spending at bloated 2010 levels.

We also urge you to oppose the omnibus spending bill that has been drafted as a substitute. This alternative bill is even worse. It spends $1.3 trillion and includes over one billion to fund the unpopular new health care law. The nearly 2,000 page bill includes an estimated $8 billion in earmarks for at least 6,600 pet projects. Furthermore, this costly omnibus was crafted in secrecy and outside of the normal appropriation process.

Also troubling is that the FDA Food “Safety” Modernization Act has been inserted into the continuing resolution and the omnibus spending bill. This misnamed bill will grant the federal government unprecedented control over our diets while not making our food any safer. If Congress votes on this overreaching bill, it must be done through transparent and constitutional means, not as something stuffed into another 2,000 page turkey of a bill.

Instead of passing either of these massive spending bills, the Senate should instead pass a short term continuing resolution to fund the government until the new Congress can prepare a better bill that reduces spending. The Republican Study Committee (RSC) has introduced a proposal to reduce domestic discretionary spending levels to FY2008 pre-bailout levels. Perhaps the new Congress might go further and propose a reduction to the even lower FY2006 levels, the last budget before the Democrats took over and ratcheted-up spending. Such spending cuts would move us in the right direction, while the continuing resolution and the omnibus spending bills do the opposite.

We will count your vote on the H.R.3082, Full Year Continuing Appropriation Act 2011 and/or the “omnibus” substitute, as a KEY VOTE when calculating the FreedomWorks Economic Freedom Scorecard for 2010. The Economic Freedom Scorecard is used to determine eligibility for the Jefferson Award, which recognizes members of Congress with voting records that support economic freedom.

Sincerely,

Matt KibbePresident and CEO FreedomWorks[Click here for pdf version of this letter.]

Shortly before adjourning for Thanksgiving, House Republicans met in private to vote on rules proposals for the 115th Congress, which begins on January 3. Among the proposals considered by the conference was one that would bring back earmarks.

As one of our over 5.7 million FreedomWorks activists nationwide, I urge you to continue to contact your senators and ask them to vote NO on H.R. 5325, the vehicle for the continuing resolution (CR) expected to be considered by the Senate today.

As one of our over 5.7 million FreedomWorks activists nationwide, I urge you to contact your senators and ask them to vote NO on H.R. 5325, the vehicle for the continuing resolution (CR) expected to be considered by the Senate this week. The legislation violates the conservative principles of fiscal responsibility by pushing tough spending decisions into the lame duck session of Congress, rather than into 2017. This short term funding measure reinforces the status quo, damages our economy, and fails to honor regular order.

It’s not a secret that the government, unfortunately, dictates much of the workplace environment and all of the regulations. Employers feel the impact of the regulatory state through oppressive and micro-managing bureaucracies like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which auspiciously ensures “worker safety.”

As one of our over 5.7 million FreedomWorks activists nationwide, I urge you to contact your representative and ask them to vote YES on Rep. Sanford’s (R-SC) amendment to H.R. 5293, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2017. The amendment would keep in place the U.S. military’s current practice of providing vouchers to recruits allowing them to pick the shoe of their choice. Recently, legislation passed the House and Senate that would change this practice and cost the taxpayers over $300 million. Rep. Sanford’s amendment to H.R. 5293 is expected to be considered on the House floor tomorrow, June 16.

Ever since John Boehner's parting "gift" in August, another horrible, bloated omnibus spending package was pretty much inevitable. Now, with days to spare before the new year, we can see the result. Predictably, friends of limited government won't like it much. The spending increases alone are bad, but the combination of policy riders that did and did not make the final bill sealed the deal. Thus, on behalf of our millions of activists nationwide, FreedomWorks opposes this year's omnibus spending bill, and will score against it on our Online Congressional Scorecard for 2015.

What is it about joining the Republican leadership that renders one incapable of competently negotiating? In the run up to all of the biggest legislative fights of the year, Republicans have time and time again surrendered whatever leverage they may have had before the battle lines were even drawn.

As one of our more than 6.9 million FreedomWorks members nationwide, I urge you to contact your representative and ask him or her to support the following amendments to the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, H.R. 2578.